Prototyping is an integral process of any system design work. All production processes involve three key areas: having a concept and designing it; prototyping process and production process. To metal stamp a prototype, the technicians and engineers should evaluate and work hand in hand with the project team during project testing and improvement process. This ensures that all prototypes meet the desired cost effectiveness, robustness and functionality besides meeting other tool design goals.

Steps

1

Convert all concepts to drawing. It is the computer aided design (CAD) which reflects ones concept. This will give the manufacturer an idea of how you expect the part to look like. A proper and a clear drawing with accurate dimensions will most definitely translate into a better product. Important elements to consider in any CAD drawing include:

The drawing must be dimensionally correct with all dimension indicated appropriately.

All numbers must add up across all dimensions.

Indicate all critical dimensions clearly and if possible, highlight them.

All card drawing should be drawn to full scale. This ensures that when the CAD drawing is imported to the suppliers system, all the geometries remain in their exact position during the unfolding process.

The CAD file must be clean and it must not have any overlapping lines.

2

Create time for design consultation. Possessing a good CAD drawing does not automatically translate to a cost effective and good prototype. Before you metal stamp a prototype, it is important to consult with the manufacturer. Most manufacturers have their own research and development team who work very closely with their clients to ensure that their designs meet all the required criteria.

The design consultation process must take place before getting a complete quote of the part to be stamped. The R & D team will provide more insight and advice on areas clients might have not considered during the drawing process. They scrutinize the drawing to ascertain whether all unnecessary cost which could be incurred are eliminated before the stamping process begins. They will recommend the appropriate changes to the existing drawing to make it robust, efficient and cost effective to the clients.

Superior stamped parts can only be obtain through the team work during the design and consultation process. During the consultation, some steps could be eliminated while some merged together. This reduces the stamping time significantly; a reason why most companies can metal stamp a prototype within 3 to 4 weeks.

Metal stamping companies employ a competent and experienced research and development team. This is mainly to ensure that no obvious mistakes or errors passes this stage uncorrected.

As the final decision maker, it is important to incorporate various recommendations proposed during the consultation process as they will enhance performance and reliability of the stamped component.

3

Evaluate important aspects of stamping process. There are various aspects that you must evaluate with the research and development team of the metal stamping company. Some of these crucial aspects include the following:

Tolerances: tolerances greatly affect the parts being stamped. Shifting precision by just a single decimal place may affect the final cost of the section to be prototypes significantly. During the consultation process, you have to determine all those dimensions which are very critical to the design work and those that are relaxed. This will help to design and stamp sections which will save costs significantly.

Designing a pattern with very many tight tolerances or very critical manufacturing steps may take quite a longer time to prototype. This may also increase the prototyping costs significantly. Therefore, with the help of the consultation team from the company, they should eliminate unnecessary tight tolerances to reduce both cost and the prototyping time. You should highlight such issues during the consultation period.

Material option: the choice of material also determines the cost of the final product. A good number of metal stamping companies can metal stamp a prototype of any material. Factors to consider while selecting the material may include whether the part to be stamped requires a specific aesthetic look; if it should match some components which had been produced or are there are some chemical additives which can be used to attain different looks of the product which is being formed.

Mostly, the choice of a specific material is either due to some aesthetic look, durability or based of a given cost. Discuss this during the consultation process. The research and development team can give you other options which can be much affordable or, they may suggest other materials which could serve the same purpose better. You should also tell your manufacturer the reasons as to why you opted for a given type of material. This will help them to propose other options for you in case there is need.

Functionality: having tight tolerances where necessary can save costs in the long run. Discuss the functionality of the parts to be prototyped with the research and development team as they will advise you on the specific tolerances to tighten and to relax. Remember, having very many tight tolerances in any prototype to be stamped will imply higher costs and longer waiting period of time. In any prototyping process, it is important to weight between cost and functionality of the component.

4

Know and confirm the expected delivery and shipment terms.

Even in the do-it-yourself (DIY) metal stamping processes shipping plays a significant role. This is for the reason that all tools and bought online will have to be shipped to their final destination. Go for a company which has a reliable and convenient delivery system. When determining shipping methods, it is important to review the in-house shipping methods.

At times, when there is a delay in the delivery process, there could be additional unexpected cost in the manufacturing. It is also important to ensure that the company has proper mechanisms to ensure that goods are delivered in good condition and just a simple paper work.

5

Review both machine time and tooling needed for the stamping process.

Design work is one of the most important and very crucial processes when you want to metal stamp a prototype. After all the design work and drawings have been assessed by the experts, it is important to consider machine time and tooling. There are very many types of tools available in the market. Each comes with its own unique advantages and disadvantages depending on the nature of the stamping process. For instance, you can go for off-the-shelf tooling or design a unique stamping tool for the process. In most custom metal prototyping, customized tools are normally used.

The choice of any tooling process will also be determined by the complexity of the design to be stamped. While opting for complex shapes, it is important note that they come with more processing stages which also translates to additional costs of the entire process.

When you metal stamp a prototype, there is other additional post-processing work which may be required. List all the post processing procedures which may be required which stamping a prototype. Some of this post processing work may include tapping, drilling, plating, galvanizing etc. At this point, it’s necessary to consider the number of services a metal stamping shop offers. For instance, a shop could be stamping prototypes but also electroplating products. When a given part is left in the same place for additional work, then there are higher chances of cost saving on bulk tooling. There will be a reduction in handling costs too.

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Tips

You can request for a quote from the company of choice. The company will give you a quote based on all factors which have been listed above. For example a prototype which has very tight tolerances and require complex tools will be expensive and they may require more steps the turnaround time will be longer. Choosing a reputable, reliable and honest company will ensure that you do not overpay for metal stamping services. On the other hand, they will not render their services cheaply to provide substandard products.

A good company must reduce the time frame which a given prototype takes to bring a part from drawing to delivery. Metal stamp prototype industry is very competitive and each company must deliver quality products in a timely manner to beat their competitors in the industry.

It is the decision making process which will determine how long a prototype will take be stamped. Any conflicting factors in this process will determine the efficiency of the production process.